feedback. Content knowledge is to be demonstrated through a variety of means including oral
presentations, writing, discussions, and multimedia. Effective expression is also a key component of
the CA ELD Standards for eighth grade as students are asked to interact in meaningful ways, including
“exchanging information and ideas with others through collaborative discussions on a range of social
and academic topics, offering and justifying opinions, negotiating with and persuading others in
communicative exchanges, and listening actively to spoken English in a range of social and academic
context.”
Figure 6.28 presents a sample informative/explanatory essay written by an eighth grader on
the topic of the book The Old Man and the Sea as a homework assignment for an English class. It
is followed by an annotation that analyzes the piece according to the standard (W.8.2). The essay
should be viewed as having been written after multiple rounds of revising and editing and intentional
instruction about how to use particular rhetorical devices and language resources. Although this
sample essay contains five paragraphs, no specific number of paragraphs is recommended. Essays
should contain as many paragraphs as are necessary to develop a writer’s ideas and accomplish the
purpose of the writing task. (See the grades six and seven sections for narrative and argument writing
samples).
Figure 6.28. Grade Eight Writing SampleThe Old Man and the Sea
In the book The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway tells the story of an old Cuban
fisherman named Santiago who, considered by the villagers to be the worst type of unlucky, is
still determined to win a battle against a giant Marlin off the coast of Cuba. Santiago succeeds,
but his successes do not come without great hardship and struggle. He spends three days
being dragged in his skiff by the enormous marlin with minimal food and water, all the while
enduring acute physical pain, tiredness, and an unending loneliness due to the absence of his
young friend, Manolin. It is only after Santiago’s prize fish is completely devoured by sharks
that he returns home to the village scorners and the safety of Manolin’s trust. As his suffering
and loss compound, we can see that Hemingway’s quote “a man can be destroyed but not
defeated” offers a key insight into Santiago’s life.
As the story begins, we learn that Santiago has gone eighty-four days straight without
catching a fish. Young Manolin’s parents will no longer allow the two to fish together, for they
do not want their son being exposed any more to this type of failure. Santiago and Manolin are
deeply saddened by this news, but Santiago does not let the loss of his friend or the defeat
that others see him suffering keep him off the sea. Rather, with bright and shining eyes he
thinks “maybe today. Every day is a new day” (pg. 32), and prepares to catch the biggest
fish of his life. This shows that even though almost all of Santiago’s acquaintances feel that
his fishing career is over, he sees it about to reach its all time high. Though he knows he is
physically older and weaker than most of his fellow fisherman, he refuses to let their opinions
and stereotypes destroy his confidence and determination.
As the story progresses, Hemingway presents an even more vivid picture of Santiago
refusing to be destroyed by the forces that threaten to defeat him. Even after he accomplishes
the difficult task of hooking the giant Marlin, he finds his skiff being dragged by the fish for
over two days. Living in the small boat is no easy task for Santiago, and soon injury and
suffering seem to take over his entire body. His back is sore from sitting so long against the
stiff wood, his face is cut from fishing hooks, his shoulders ache, and his eyes have trouble
focusing. Most difficult to endure though is the terrible condition in which he finds his hands.
The left one is weakened from a period of being tightly cramped, and both are extremely624 | Chapter 6 Grade 8